Scandinavian Minimall

Esencia is a Danish brand, which is already a favourite amongst many Scandinavian kids fashion enthusiasts, and as of next week, we will have a small - but very pretty - collection at Scandinavian Minimall. Yay!

The label was founded by two mothers, a Bolivian and a Japanese, living in Denmark, at the beginning of 2006. When they started Esencia, the goal  was to produce high quality natural products with simple designs, making use of the craftsmanship of indigenous women/artisans from the Andes region, and that objective still very much remains. Focusing on the purity of children, Esencia’s products are made from the finest natural alpaca and llama fibres and organic cotton, cooperating only with suppliers who value the principles of fair trade and sustainability. What make us adore Esencia even more, is that the company is a socially responsible organization, only working together with suppliers who adopt these Fair Trade principles.

This brand is most definetily for socially aware parents who like simple, modern, high quality clothes - like most labels we sell at Scandinavian Minimall. Below are some gorgeous items from the Autumn/Winter 11 Esencia collection. Enjoy!

Our series about Mums & Scandinavian kids fashion continues. This week we've got another favourite blogger of ours, Little Scandinavian, to talk about one of her favourite topics : Scandinavian kids fashion, and what inspires her to dress her daughters the way they do.

Name: Bianca Wessel

Bio: Lives with husband and two children, Little B age 10 and Little A age 6 in London UK. Professional blogger, loves home made bread and spending time outdoors with my girls.

Blog: http://www.littlescandinavian.com

My passion for kids fashion was born in 2001, when I became a mum. I've since then tested and experienced a variety of styles and qualities along the years and based on that I've developed my own sense of what works for us. Of course what to wear needs to be a compromise between the child and the parents though. Obviously the baby is happy as long as she's comfortable. But already as early as the age of 2 the discussions starts in the morning! "Why can't I be wearing my pink sandals out in the snow?"

One interesting experience is how much I find children's fashion to have developed over the last 10 years. The focus on creating clothes with children in mind is greater than ever. Playful and fun, cool and funky, shabby chic with layers or just sleek and minimalistic -the children can choose apparel that reflects their personality and mood. And the clothes nowadays are comfortable and allows the child to move freely and the quality have improved so that the clothes not only can last wear and tear but also be handed down both one and two times. Which brings me into another subject that lies close to my heart; Sustainability! The focus on eco friendly fabrics and production is so great it's even prompting the high street stores to include organic lines in their collection.

Another change, or should I say development, of the children's fashion industry is the internet. Children's Boutiques can't afford not having an online presence any longer as more and more customers do prefer to do their purchases in the comfort of their own home and at a time during the day (or night!) that suits them. The internet has also made it possible for budding entrepreneurs to set up sole online stores, offering clothes from world wide to a constant growing amount of discerning online consumers. Personal and excellent customer service including a good return policy is as important as the selection of brands and the virtual user experience of the online store.

My interest in all of this has resulted in my blog becoming my full time job. The growth of Social Media with Blogs, Twitter and Facebook has taken the value of "worth of mouth" to a whole new level. And personally I think we've only seen the beginning of it!

My favourite brands vary from collection to collection. For Autumn Winter 11 I do have a special fondness for Sprout by GRO, Pale Cloud, Waddler and Esencia. If I could only buy one item this season it would have to be the glam and retro down jacket by Finger in the Nose